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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265955">What Makes A Mother?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix'>ElisaPhoenix</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Supreme Family Chaos [125]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Wild Karen Appears, Discrimination, Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, Other, Parent Stephen Strange, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:53:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,426</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265955</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephen crosses paths with a Karen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stephen Strange &amp; Original Female Character(s), Stephen Strange &amp; Peter Parker &amp; Harley Keener</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Supreme Family Chaos [125]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1364899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>173</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Makes A Mother?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Diana had a half day at school and Tony had meetings all day so Stephen refused to let him take Lucy with him. The boys and Cassie were at school so the sorcerer currently had all three girls with him. Stephen picked up Diana from school, promptly tossed her backpack through a portal, and then walked to the store nearby. Athena was, of course, with him, which was a big help to keep Valerie close and safe since his hands were currently full with his youngest daughter. Diana was old enough to know how to stay close in the busy streets of New York, and Valerie knew to hold on to the wolf or him.</p><p>Currently Diana and Valerie chose Athena while Stephen gave some of his attention to Lucy in an attempt to keep her warm. She was too small for a winter jacket, so he made sure she was safely bundled up with blankets in her stroller. Something even now he felt kind of ridiculous pushing around even after having to do so with Valerie, but times like these called for it. He didn't have the strength in his hands to carry her, and pushing the stroller was something he could barely do in these cold months. It's why he quickly herded his children to the store to get out of the biting cold for their sake and his.</p><p>His gloves only did so much even if Tony made them specifically for instances like this. They kept his hands warm and even dulled some of the chronic pain he had on a daily basis. When his husband presented the gloves to him and Stephen tried them on...he actually cried tears of relief. He was so used to the pain that he had learned to ignore it for the most part, and when he slipped the gloves on? Instant relief. It was almost overwhelming.</p><p>Now he wore them during the cold months or when he was having an especially bad day and no one could help massage his hands.</p><p>"How come we're here again?" Diana asks as she grabs a basket.<br/>
"I just need a few last minute things before Christmas." Stephen answers as he leads the girls further into the store.<br/>
She makes a face. "You said you got everything done."<br/>
The sorcerer chuckles. "I did. At least until your father drank the last of his coffee this morning and everyone suddenly remembered stuff they needed. Since I was coming for coffee, I offered to pick up whatever they needed."<br/>
"So Uncle Scott needs juice."<br/>
"Actually, Uncle Bucky needs toothpaste." Stephen chuckles again as they walk down the aisle with the coffee.</p><p>Lucy was comfortably asleep in the stroller, undisturbed by the buzz of noise around her since Target was busier than usual. People were out getting last minute gifts and stocking stuffers and probably even doing what Stephen was doing. If there was music playing, he could hardly hear it, but the baby was used to louder noises than this. In fact, sudden loud noises rarely woke her since she was constantly found in the lab with Tony. Stephen was convinced he was trying to make her into another grease monkey. As if Harley and Peter weren't enough. Valerie and William preferred quieter activities with Stephen, Diana didn't mind either but was normally found with Cassie anyway, and Thomas...well he was an active kind of person. He couldn't really sit still long enough to tinker or put together a jigsaw puzzle.</p><p>"I found Daddy's coffee!" Dia announces and grabs the coffee to put in the basket.<br/>
"I'm not going to even ask how you know." Stephen shakes his head.</p><p>He had a feeling Cassie had a lot to do with it in the later years before the snap was reversed. Well, then and now. Stephen supposed he took her shopping for coffee often enough that she learned what they got.</p><p>"Natasha and Sam need some too." He says and grabs their favorites to drop in the basket. "Can you carry that?"<br/>
"Uh-huh."<br/>
He could sense that magic had a hand in her ability to carry the basket as it got heavier, but as there was no visible proof, he didn't say anything. "We'll grab the toothpaste on the way back."<br/>
"Mama, juice?" Valerie asks quietly.<br/>
"Yes, we're getting juice as well." Stephen says softly.</p><p>For some reason after that, his stomach dropped and he suddenly felt on edge, and before he could wonder why, the woman at the other end of the aisle answered that question. She clicks her tongue in disapproval and Stephen looks over at her incredulously at her next words.</p><p>"There's something wrong with a child that calls a man her mother. Only <em>women</em> who have carried their child and gone through hours of painful labor to bring them into this world are deserving of that title." She says with pursed lips.</p><p>He had no idea why it bothered him so much. She certainly wasn't the first to make a comment, but maybe it was because she insinuated that one of his children had a problem. Maybe it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Whatever it was, it had him turning to face her fully instead of ignoring her and continuing his shopping.</p><p>"<em>Excuse me</em>?" He challenges and to his surprise, she takes the bait instead of cowering.<br/>
"Your little girl is wrong to call you her mother." The woman repeats. "You are not a woman and you didn't give birth to her."</p><p>If Stephen had fur, it would be standing on end right about now. He didn't, but Athena was well tuned to his emotions that she did it for him. She knew better than to growl but he could sense that she was ready to and held his hand out to the side to signal that it was unnecessary. Valerie was on the verge of tears and hiding against the wolf and Diana was giving the woman a sour glare.</p><p>"Who are you to say that my daughter is wrong?" Stephen snaps. "And who are you to determine what or who makes a mother?! What about the women out there that can't have their own children? Are they not mothers to the children they adopt and love? What about the women who carry a baby to term but give up their baby for adoption? Are they still a mother even though they went through the pain?"<br/>
The woman was getting a little miffed already. "You're a--"<br/>
"A man? Maybe I didn't carry and birth my girls but I'm still the reason they exist! Maybe they weren't brought into this world in the conventional way but I'm their mother because that is what my children chose to call me! That was started by a teenage boy by the way. I feed my kids. I nurture them. I care for them when they're sick or even hurt and there have been many times that I put myself in direct line of danger to keep them safe!" Stephen was fuming and the lady actually started to look sheepish and reprimanded. "A mother isn't determined by their ability to have children, but by their ability and willingness to raise a child. The same goes for fathers. If they abandon an expecting mother, they give up their title as father because they aren't there to help raise the child. They're just sperm donors." Stephen grits his teeth. "So maybe next time you'll think before you say anything so ignorant and negative again. But maybe even that will be too much for someone like you."</p><p>And with that, Stephen turned his attention back to the juice on the shelves and left the woman standing there properly admonished. He gently pet Valerie's hair to soothe her as Athena huffed in shared annoyance and Diana...well she seemed to be searching through her coat. Stephen didn't think anything of it until suddenly he saw her throw out her arm toward the woman and dark blue sparkles clouded his peripheral vision. When he turned his head to get a proper look, he had to keep himself from laughing at the shocked expression on the woman's face as glitter covered her and Diana looked up at the lady with another scowl.</p><p>"Maybe that will help make you prettier on the inside."</p><p>The woman stomps off in a huff and Diana brushes the remaining glitter off of her hands as Stephen looks down at her. The little girl looked mighty pleased with herself and Stephen wasn't going to reprimand her for the use of glitter this time. He did inconspicuously use his magic to clean up what had fallen on the floor though since he didn't wish glitter clean up on any poor soul that worked there. When that was finished, he knelt down to look at Valerie and smile.</p><p>"You did nothing wrong." He says softly and wipes away the remains of her tears.<br/>
"She was just a jealous and mean old lady." Diana pipes up.<br/>
"Am I bad?" Valerie asks quietly and the sorcerer shakes his head.<br/>
"Absolutely not. I don't think you have a mean bone in your body." He kisses the top of her head and pats Athena's as he stands back up. "Good girl." He praises quietly.</p><p>Even through that whole debacle when Stephen went as far as raising his voice, Lucy was sound asleep and remained so until they finished shopping and were in line to checkout. The woman was nowhere to be seen and Stephen wasn't too surprised after Diana gave her the glitter shower, but he also wasn't going to complain. He didn't want there to be a second confrontation in case she thought of a <em>clever</em> response to the new asshole he ripped her. Especially since Lucy would be fussing for food any moment.</p><p>That moment came the second they left the store with their purchases and Stephen portaled them home. He took her out of the stroller once they were fully in the penthouse and already had a bottle in her mouth that he had premade in the diaper bag. Diana helped carry some of the groceries toward the kitchen while Valerie followed Athena into the living room, and both Stephen and Diana froze when they found Harley and William already in the kitchen.</p><p><em>Kissing</em>.</p><p>"When did this happen?" Stephen accidentally blurts out.<br/>
William instantly pulls himself away from Harley, turns a nice shade of red, and then seemingly pops out of existence, making Harley groan loudly. "Ugh! Mom!"<br/>
"Sorry." Stephen laughs. "He'll come back around. Come help with the groceries in the meantime."<br/>
"There was a mean lady there." Diana's face sours as she holds the bags up for her brother to take. "She said Mommy isn't a mommy."<br/>
Harley takes the bags and sets them on the counter before looking at Stephen with an irritated look. "Who? I'll go find her and give her a piece of my mind!"<br/>
"I already ripped into her." Stephen shakes his head. "Your sister ended it with a flourish of dark blue glitter she smuggled in her pockets."<br/>
"And I missed it?!" Harley sighs and separates everything to either be picked up or taken down to whoever requested it.<br/>
"Clearly you were having your own fun." Stephen responds dryly and Harley blushes.</p><p>Diana left to join her sister in the living room once everything was being handled and Stephen told Harley what transpired at the store. His look of irritation turned dark when the sorcerer told him exactly what she had said, but then visibly relaxed a little when he told him what his response was. After everything was put away, Harley walked over to Stephen and surprised the hell out of him when he threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly. Stephen stood there in shock for a few moments at the rare sign of affection from <em>Harley</em>, but he soon reciprocated the hug with one of his arms. Lucy squeaked from being a little smushed between them.</p><p>"You're the best mom. Better than so many out there. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise because anyone would be lucky to have you as their mom. I know we are. I am."<br/>
Stephen's heart twists pleasantly and he sighs softly. "...thank you Harley. I didn't realize how much I needed that confirmation."<br/>
"I'll literally go round everyone up and put together an emergency Mom Day." Harley says after pulling away and Stephen chuckles.<br/>
"That's unnecessary but thank you." He points to the remaining groceries on the counter. "You can deliver those for me though."</p><p>Harley grins and salutes him before grabbing everything and disappearing onto the elevator. Stephen then joins the two girls in the living room to sit on the couch and finish feeding Lucy her bottle and Valerie immediately climbs up next to him and curls into his side. He had no clue what had gotten into him at the store but he had no regrets. He had actually tasted sulphur in his mouth as he lectured the woman, and that was a sure sign that the dragon was trying to surface. That would have been overkill so he fought it down for the sole reason to not cost his husband millions of dollars for destroying Target. Tony probably wouldn't have minded if he knew what was said, but there was also the risk of not making it home because of exhaustion from shape shifting. </p><p>Valerie tugs on his sleeve and when he looks at her, she gives him her adorable pleading eyes. "Bear movie?"<br/>
Stephen chuckles and puts Lucy's bottle down to hold her up and burp her. "FRIDAY, turn on Brave please."<br/>
"Yes, Doctor." The tv turns on and Brave starts playing just as Lucy rewards him with a burp.<br/>
"How about some lunch?" Stephen asks as he gets up to place Lucy in her swing.<br/>
"Peanut butter and jelly!" Diana requests at the same time Valerie says, "juice!"</p><p>As Stephen walks back to the kitchen, a body attaches itself to his back and he sighs.</p><p>"Aren't you a little too old for this Spiderling?"<br/>
"Nope. Gotta make sure you feel loved and appreciated." Peter quips and keeps his hold.<br/>
"I'm sure we look ridiculous." The sorcerer says fondly.<br/>
"Probably. Can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich too?"<br/>
"Since you're clearly five today, why not?"<br/>
"Just don't use your magic to make it true."<br/>
Stephen smirks. "Well, it <em>would</em> make the piggyback ride easier."<br/>
"No, suffer." Peter huffs.</p>
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